The Ruins of Radiant Gardens
by Nexanda77
Summary: The day Sora has been dreading has come. It's Choosing Day. All his friends know exactly what kind of apprentice they are going to become, and Sora can only hope that by some miracle he will be accepted into the Battleschool. His hopes are dashed though when he is rejected because of his small size, and instead sent unwillingly to study under a mysterious Ranger. YAOI SoRiku Cleon
1. Prologue

**I came up with this idea for a crossover when I was reading The Ranger's Apprentice and I realized how similar some of the characters were to Kingdom Hearts characters in their personalities. The more I thought about it the more I liked it and POOF! here we are.**

**So basically, I am going to use Kingdom Hearts characters in the Ranger's Apprentice storyline. However, I will be changing some aspects because I don't want to just copy John Flanagan's AMAZING story.**

**Oh and there will be yaoi. Why? Because I'm a fangirl thats why. So don't like don't read. But if you do like please continue right along :)**

**Disclaimer for the entire story: I own nothing. Not Kingdom Hearts, not The Ranger's Apprentice Series. Those belong to the wonderful people that created them. **

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_Prologue_

Maleficent, Mistress of Hollow Bastion and former Baron of Radiant Gardens in Kingdom Hearts looked out from her perch on a balcony of her crumbling castle. For maybe the hundredth time she cursed her dismal surroundings.

This broken landscape was all she had now. Nothing but mountains of rock, too dead for plants of any kind to take root. Fifteen years it had been since she had been forced to flee to this accursed domain. She could still envision the rolling green meadows of her former fief. There had been merrily brooks teaming with fish, and inviting forests full of wildlife. Radiant Gardens had been a beautiful place. Hollow Bastion left a lot to be desired.

A platoon of Neoshadows were drilling in the castle yard below her. Maleficent watched them for a few moments. They were disgusting vermin, and she resented having to rely on them as her only subjects. Each had a body as dark as shadows with bright yellow eyes. Their human like bodies were slightly misshapen, and that caused them to hunch slightly when they moved. However, their movements were still very quick, and their claws were always wickedly sharp. As if sensing her gaze, the long antennae that reached from their heads nearly all the way to the ground perked up slightly in her direction.

Avoiding all contact with humans, Neoshadows had lived in this forbidden land since as far back as history books go. It was said that no one alive had ever laid eyes on the creatures, and that they were just an old story mothers used to scare their children into quieting. Maleficent knew different. She had followed the legends and found them. Now, they were her servants, willing to join her in revenge.

Willing...was a subjective word. These lesser beings had weak minds, weak enough to be susceptible to domination by a superior intelligence and willpower. Maleficent had bent their wills to suit her own aims. She had turned them into the perfect army, an army of nightmares. Such an army should have easily succeeded in a rebellion to usurp King Ansem, but still they had failed.

Her mouth pressed into a hard line, Maleficent swept her dark robe around her turned her back on the broken land she ruled over. In the shadows of the inner room, she directed her anger to the source of her failure. Fifteen years ago she had rebelled against the then new King Ansem. She had planned so carefully; training her Neoshadows in secret as the old king lay stricken on his sick bed. His death was going to be the perfect opportunity to strike and seize the throne.

In the days of confusion and grief that followed the old king's death, she joined the other barons in traveling to Castle Oblivion for the funeral rites. With all the leaders converged in one place, the rest of Kingdom Hearts was left unprepared. Her Neoshadows struck in full force, and in a matter of days a quarter of the kingdom was already hers.

Ansem, young and experienced, had no chance against her. The kingdom was her's for the taking.

But, they resisted. Instead of fighting with one another as Maleficent had expected, the other barons had rallied around Ansem and together readied an army for battle. The hastily configured army clashed with Maleficent's well trained Neoshadows on the open plains of Mufasa's fief, the Pride Lands.

Five hours into battle, Maleficent had realized her army was not as overpowering as she had believed. With massive losses on both sides, strategy was going to decide the victor. Maleficent's had an advantage with her right flank protected by a small river where the mud and sand created a natural barrier.

But then one of those grey-cloaked meddlers known as Rangers had found a secret ford across, and had led a heavy force of cavalry across upstream from the Neoshadow army. The surprise attack from behind broke the Neoshadows. They fled, retreating into the rocky lands of Hollow Bastion, and Maleficent, her rebellion defeated, went with them.

Here in Hollow Bastion was where Maleficent had remained for fifteen years, keeping her hatred of the men who had done this to her burning strong, fueled by her plans for revenge.

The time to strike was approaching. In fifteen years, Kingdom Hearts had grown complacent, her presence here all but forgotten. The name Maleficent was considered no more than a legend. However, this time she would make sure there would be none who had conspired against her previously to aid King Ansem.

For she had found another legend in the dark recesses of Hollow Bastion. Beasts even more terrifying than the Neoshadows. Darksides.

The time was ripe to unleash them.

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**Never done a crossover so this will be interesting. It'll also be interesting to see if anyone reads this story. **

**ATTENTION PEOPLE OF THE KH FANDOM!**

**If you found this story because you read my other ones and liked them, I'd encourage you to keep reading this one too. Even if you haven't read The Ranger's Apprentice series. All you need to know if this is basically the first book in the series and it's just such a great story I wanted to try writing it with the kh characters just to see what happens. **

**Like I said, right now this plotline really isn't mine. It is taken directly from **_**The Ruins of Gorlan**_**, but I'm gonna change some it to include some kh stuff... I think I'm starting to ramble...**

**Just R&R 'kay? **

**P.S.- Just realized I should tell you King Ansem is Ansem the Wise just so there is no confusion.**


	2. Sora No-Name

Chapter 1 _Sora No-Name_

"Sora, please eat something."

Sora looked up from his intense stare at the floor to see Selphie watching him concerned from across the table. "Not hungry," Sora forced out and pushed the plate of steaming food away from him.

"Nervous?" Tidus asked from next to Selphie. Sora didn't respond. Of course he was nervous! Tomorrow was Choosing Day, the day when the wards of the Castle of Disneytown were chosen to be apprentices by the Craftmasters. It was the day that determined your life. Nearly every ward was chosen to join one of the schools offered. If you weren't, you were sent to work for a farming family nearby.

Sora shuddered inwardly. It was what he feared more than anything. His ward mates, Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, and Riku all knew which school they would join. They already knew they would be accepted. Lady Aerith of Diplomatic Services would be happy to take Selphie with her talkative manner, Tidus with his knack for arguing was a top notch candidate for Merlin the Scribemaster, Wakka's legendary crepes nearly guaranteed him a spot in Master Yen Sid's kitchen, and Riku...

Riku was the tallest, most athletic of the wards in Sora's year. He was a natural for Battleschool. One look at him at Sir Leon would accept him immediately.

And that just left Sora. The smallest of all of them, even smaller than Selphie. More than anything he wished he could be as impressive as Riku. Riku's muscles were well defined and the fact that he towered over most people his age made him look older even though they were all the same year. Sora was always envious of Riku and his good looks. Lately though, he had gone from wishing to wanting. He no longer wished to look like Riku, he wanted to have Riku. To hold him and trail his fingers down his rock hard muscles. To see what it felt like to drag his fingers through his soft silver hair. To know what his lips felt like. In the last year Sora had come to the realization that he had fallen in love with his wardmate. Why hadn't he been able to voice his feelings yet?

"He ought to be nervous," Riku said mockingly waving his fork in Sora's direction. "After all, which Craftmaster is going to want him as an apprentice?"

Oh yeah, that's why. Riku spent every moment of his waking hours trying to come up with new ways of humiliating Sora.

"Still planning on applying to Battleschool, Sora?" Riku continued. A week ago Riku had overheard Sora confessing to Selphie that he was planning on trying to get into the knight school. Now it was his new favorite way to make fun of Sora. "Better eat something then. You'll need to build yourself up a little."

Sora hated to admit it, but Riku was right. His slight build would make surviving Battleschool nearly impossible. His lack of retort caught Riku by surprise as it was rare for Riku to win in a verbal fight. A physical fight was always Riku's victory, but in their turbulent relationship Sora was usually to get the last stinging word in. Riku decided to milk this latest victory by saying, "You know, you need some muscle to get into Battleschool. Real muscle."

Even though Sora was more nervous and depressed than he had ever felt, he still refused to let Riku win. "Particularly between the ears," Sora shot back before rising to his feet and running out the door.

"Yeah just run away! Run away Sora No-name! You're a no-name and no one is going to want you as an apprentice."

Riku's words called after Sora hurt more than he ever let on. He never let Riku see how much that taunt hurt, it would only make things worse. Instead he ran outside to the tallest tree in the courtyard and climbed quickly to the top. It was the one skill he had that he surpassed everyone else at, even Riku.

Alone at the very top, resting in the thinnest branches, Sora sighed. Unlike his wardmates, he had no second name. All the others had been given to the ward of the castle by relatives after their parents died. They had a past, a family once, but Sora knew nothing about where he had come from, the family he had once had. He had been left in a basket at the front door as a baby with nothing but a note pinned to his blanket.

_His mother died in childbirth. His father died a hero._

_Please care for him. His name is Sora._

A hero. His father had been a hero in the war against Maleficent, and now at fifteen Sora wanted nothing more than to follow in his father's footsteps, to be a knight. Over the years Sora had created a grand imagination of who his father had been, and his noble death that had left Sora alone. With such a big dream to live up to, Sora could only hang his head in shame that he had nearly no chance of getting into Battleschool.

Looking down in self pity, Sora watched the doors to the courtyard open and the light from inside spill out into the dark courtyard. So someone had come looking for him, probably Selphie. To Sora's surprise however, the figure that stepped into the light was Riku. He looked around for a moment. Why did he come looking? Probably so he could taunt Sora more about tomorrow. Sora remained still, perched at the top of the tree, and Riku gave the courtyard one last sweeping glance before returning inside and shutting the doors.

Sora shifted to get more comfortable in the tree as he wondered at the fact that nobody ever bothered looking up. Riku's distraction didn't last long as Sora's mind quickly returned to thoughts of Choosing Day. Riku would be chosen and spirited away to become a brave knight while Sora would be left as a simple farm boy. For all the misery Riku would inflict on Sora, all the fighting, Sora couldn't imagine losing him. His heart yearned for Riku in a way Sora did not fully understand yet. Choosing Day determined your life, and Sora couldn't help but frown at the idea that their lives would no longer be side by side.


	3. Choosing Day

Chapter 2 Choosing Day

"Alright candidates! Let's move a little faster! Big happy smiles; you want to impress the Craftmaster!"

Sora couldn't help but gulp as he followed his wardmates in the wake of Baron Mickey's secretary Donald. The shouting man marched with his nose pointed high in the air, and ushered the five of them to the Baron's study.

"C'mon! C'mon!" Donald continued to shout as they all hesitated, no one wanting to be the first through the door. Of course it was Riku who decided to step forward to lead the teenagers. Now with someone to lead them, the rest followed quickly and stopped awkwardly in the center of the study. The Baron and the Craftmasters had yet to arrive so Donald continued to be the highest authority. "Alright! Line up! Tallest to shortest!"

The wardmates shuffled in silence to form a single line against one wall where Sora took a moment to look out a window at the courtyard far below. Riku was of course first in line as the tallest, and then came Wakka and Tidus. Selphie gestured for Sora to go before her even though she was a full inch taller than him, and he gave her a grateful smile. However, Donald stopped them by shouting, "Not you! The girl is next!"

Embarrassed, Sora moved to the end and Selphie took her place, giving him a sympathetic smile. "Smarten up! Stand at attention now!" Donald's obnoxious shouting was then cut off by a quiet yet powerful voice.

"That is not necessary Donald." The new speaker was none other than Baron Mickey who spoke as he entered his study by a second door. Seeing his Baron, Donald immediately snapped to attention. Baron Mickey sighed, sometimes his secretary's zeal was overwhelming. "Please bring in the Craftmasters," Baron Mickey said to Donald.

"Sir!" Donald said as he turned sharply on his heels and hurried to the door with his chest puffed out.

"Donald?" Baron Mickey said just before Donald opened the door. Donald turned to face him. "Don't bellow at them. Craftmasters do not appreciate being yelled at."

Deflated, Donald nods and opens the door calling quietly to the craftmasters outside. He reenters the study followed by the five craftmasters with openings for new apprentices. Lady Aerith came in first with her ever present long brown braid swinging behind her. Head of the Diplomatic Service in Disneytown, she carried herself with quiet grace. Behind her marched in Sir Leon, head of the Battleschool. His tall stature and old scar on his face for a past battle made him the most intimidating of the group. Next followed Master Yen Sid, the castle cook, then came Merlin, the Scribemaster, and finally, Goofy the Horsemaster.

"The Craftmasters have assembled sir!" Donald said loudly standing at attention once more.

"I can see that Donald," Baron Mickey said quietly. "Good morning Lady Aerith, gentlemen."

They all returned the greeting and Baron Mickey turned to stare pointedly at Donald.

"Who's first?" Donald shouted causing Sora and the others to jump slightly. Sora looked down at his shoes to avoid Donald's searching eyes. But he could feel someone staring at him though and he raised his head to find himself under the gaze of Cloud, the Ranger.

Sora hadn't even seen Cloud come in. He must have snuck through the second door while the rest of the Craftmasters had made their entrance. Now he stood next to the Baron, wrapped in the strange mottled gray and green cloak all Rangers wore. Like all Rangers, Cloud had the unnerving ability to appear suddenly when you least expect it. Those who were superstitious believed they practiced strange magic that made them invisible. Sora wasn't sure if he believed that, but he didn't disbelieve it either. He wondered what Cloud was doing here. He wasn't considered one of the Craftmasters and as far as Sora knew he had never attended a Choosing Day prior to this one.

Abrubtly, Cloud's deep blue gaze tore away from him and Sora realized Donald was still talking. "Who's first? Who wants to go first?"

"Why don't we just take the first in line?" Baron Mickey suggests quietly and Donald nods several times.

"Of course, my lord. First in line step up and face the Baron."

Riku slowly took a step forward and stood at attention. He took a deep breath and recited as they had been instructed previously, "My name is Riku Miyano, my lord. My preference is Battleschool."

"Sir Leon?" Baron Mickey asked, and the Battlemaster stepped forward looking at Riku critically.

"Still," Sir Leon said and Riku froze, staring straight ahead. After a moment Sir Leon nodded. "Looks strong enough, my lord. I'll take him for Battleschool."

Baron Mickey nodded smiling slightly as he made a mark on a paper in front of him. "Congratulations Riku. Report to Battleschool tomorrow morning. Eight o'clock sharp."

"Yes, sir," Riku said to Baron Mickey and then turned to Sir Leon. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me yet," Sir Leon replied without a smile. "You don't know what you are in for yet."

"Who's next?" Donald asked loudly as Riku stepped back into line grinning broadly.

Wakka stepped forward. "Wakka Nakai, my lord." He said respectfully. "My preference would be as Master Yen Sid's apprentice."

Master Yen Sid stepped forward and at once berated him with many culinary questions that made Sora's head spin in confusion, but Wakka could answer without hesitation. When he finished, Master Yen Sid nodded to Baron Mickey. "I'll take him, my lord."

"Splendid," Baron Mickey said making another mark on his sheet. "Report to the kitchens tomorrow morning Wakka."

"Thank you sir," Wakka said taking him place back in line as Tidus sprung forward quickly.

"Tidus Morita, my lord. Scribeschool, my lord," Tidus said very quickly.

Baron Mickey turned to look at Merlin who nodded at once. "I've seen Tidus' work. He's acceptable."

"Very well, request granted Tidus," Baron Mickey said.

"Thank you, my lord," Tidus said breathlessly with a huge smile as he jumped back into line.

"Up next is..." Donald said flipping through a clipboard he had.

"Selphie Aoki, my lord," Selphie said, stepping forward before Donald could find her name. "I request an appointment to the Diplomatic Service, please, my lord," she says with a small smile.

Baron Mickey glanced at Lady Aerith who gave Selphie a small smile. "I've already spoken to Selphie. Approved and accepted."

"Alright," Baron Mickey said making a note on his paper as Selphie steps back. "That leaves us with just one more candidate." He gestures kindly for Sora to step forward, and with a deep breath Sora moves to stand in front of him.

"Sora, sir. My name is Sora," he says hoping his voice isn't shaking from nerves.

"Sora? Sora who?" Donald asked in an annoyed voice as he flipped through the papers he was holding. He had only been secretary for a few years and therefore didn't know Sora's story. "What's your family name, boy?" He asked in a harsh voice.

How Sora hated that question! Cheeks already turning red in embarrassment, Sora tried to reply, "I...don't have..."

"Sora is a special case, Donald," Baron Mickey said quietly giving his secretary a look. He turned back to Sora with an encouraging smile. "What school do you wish to apply to Sora?"

"I...Battleschool, please, my lord," Sora replied trying to sound confident, but knowing he is failing miserably.

"Battleschool? Aren't you...a little of the small side Sora?" Baron Mickey said not unkindly.

Sora could feel his cheeks color even more. "I haven't hit my growth spurt yet. Everybody says that," he said desperately.

Baron Mickey turned to the Battlemaster. "Leon?"

"I'm afraid he's too small," Sir Leon replied, and Sora felt his heart drop.

"Very well," Baron Mickey said. "Do you have a second choice Sora?"

Sora hesitated for a long moment. He hadn't even considered another choice. He swept his eyes over the Craftmasters. "Horseschool sir?" he asked finally.

Goofy, the Horsemaster, shook his head. "He isn't big enough to control one of my battlehorses. They'd stomp him into the ground."

Sora could only see Baron Mickey as a watery blur now. He fought hard to keep his tears from sliding down his cheeks, that would be the ultimate humiliation.

"What skills do you have Sora?" Baron Mickey asked him.

Sora racked his brain, but he wasn't good at languages like Selphie or cook like Wakka. His messy handwriting was atrocious compared to Tidus'. And he definitely didn't have Riku's muscles.

"I'm a good climber, sir," Sora says finally as it is the only thing he can come up with. However that seemed to be the wrong thing to say.

"He can climb alright," Master Yen Sid spoke up glaring at him angrily. "I remember when he crawled up a drainpipe and stole a try a of cooling sweetcakes from the window sill."

Sora's jaw dropped. That wasn't fair, it was years ago, he's been a kid. It was a childish prank!

"And just this past spring," Merlin added. "He climbed up to the third floor study and released two rabbits lose in one of our legal debates. A male and female one mind you. Did I also mention it was spring?"

"I think we get the picture Scribemaster," Baron Mickey said firmly before returning to look at Sora and sighed inwardly. He could see how hard he was fighting back his tears. "Is there any one of you that could use this boy?" He asked.

Sora slowly turned to look at the line of Craftmasters only to see them shake their heads one by one. Surprisingly it was the Ranger who broke the awful silence. "There is something you should know about the boy, my lord," he said. Cloud stepped forward and handed the Baron a folded piece of paper. Mickey took and unfurled it, frowning as he read the words there.

"You sure of this Cloud?"

"Indeed, my lord."

"I'll have to think on this overnight," Baron Mickey said and Cloud nodded before stepping back. Sora had grown up believing Rangers were people to be avoided; he didn't like the idea of Cloud knowing something about him, something important. The piece of paper lay tantalizingly close, yet impossibly far away.

"Congratulations to those of you selected," the Baron's voice dragged Sora's eyes away from the paper to look at him once more. "The rest of the day is yours to enjoy, but report to your Craftmaster first thing tomorrow morning." He turned to look only at Sora. "Sora, I will let you know tomorrow what I've decided for you."

Dismissed, the former wards began to exit the room by the front door while the Craftmaster left through the second one. Last of his wardmates to leave, Sora turned back to look at the paper one last time. Once again he felt watched and looked up to find the Ranger staring at him again with uncomfortable intensity. Sora looked away quickly and hurried out of the room.


	4. A Ranger's Apprentice

Chapter 3 _A Ranger's Apprentice_

At three o'clock in the morning, any sane person would be curled up fast asleep in their warm bed. Sora however, was standing under the large tree in the courtyard waiting. In half an hour the guard would change. The sleepy ones currently patrolling the castle walls would be replaced by more alert eyes. It was now or never.

He'd spent the day before in hell. After the Choosing Day ceremony, there had been a huge feast in honor of his friends that were leaving the Ward, and he had sat there, without a future, staring down the rest of his life as a farm hand. He had only one hope left to cling to; the paper Cloud had given the Baron. He had to know what it said.

A gust of wind blew through the courtyard, and Sora made his move. His booted feet made no sounds as he ghosted across the grass, moving with the swaying shadows of the great trees branches in the wind. He had never met anyone who understood what he meant when he described moving with the wind, but he knew it worked. No one saw him cross the open area and soon he was pressed against the base of the tower that held the Baron's office. Like everywhere else in the old castle, the weathered stones provided plenty of foot and handholds perfect for scaling the walls.

He reached up and began to climb. He took the first five feet in a matter of seconds, but he paused, doubt paralyzing him as he took in the gravity of the situation. He wouldn't be able to pass this off as a harmless prank. He was scaling the _Baron's _tower. If he was caught...

Sora shook himself mentally and set his sights on the window high above him. He slipped into an easy routine of climbing. It wasn't until his foot slipped off a smooth stone that he looked down and gulped.

He was higher off the ground then the great tree and the only thing he had to hold onto was the slippery edges of old stones. With more haste, Sora continued his ascension and in less than a minute he reached up to grasp the window sill. After a slight struggle to pull himself up, Sora was able to crawl through the window and enter Baron Mickey's dark office.

There it was. Sitting on the edge of the desk. Taking a deep breath, Sora crossed the room and reached out for the paper. A hand shot out of the dark and grabbed him by the wrist. Sora jumped with a yelp and looked up to see two bright blue eyes staring at him.

Sora blinked, seeing it was Cloud holding him and the Ranger didn't look amused. He hadn't been there a moment before, had he? But that wasn't the real issue, the real issue was that he had been caught sneaking around the Baron's study in the dead of night.

"Thought you might try something like this," the Ranger said is a low voice. "Do you have anything to say?" Cloud asked Sora, but he just hung his head in despair. "Then let's go see what the Baron thinks of this."

"Please Cloud! Not..." Sora's voice died in his throat as Cloud's blue eyes turned to study him.

"What?" Cloud asked curtly.

"Nothing," Sora said quietly letting Cloud drag him out of the office and up the winding stairs that led to the Baron's living quarters. Cloud's iron grip on his wrist forces Sora to follow him into the Baron's apartment.

Surprisingly, the room was well lit despite it being 3 o'clock in the morning, and Baron Mickey was sitting in one of the multiple armchairs reading through a stack of reports. He looked up as Cloud walked in. "So you were right," the Baron said and Cloud nodded.

"Just as I predicted sir. He crossed the courtyard like a shadow and scaled the tower like a spider," Cloud said.

"Well now," Baron Mickey said sternly to Sora. "This is a very serious matter." Sora wisely said nothing. "So what should we do with you young Sora?" The Baron mused. "Tell me Sora, what would you do if you were in my position? If you had just discovered a boy had broken into your office in the middle of the night and attempted to steal an important document?"

"I wasn't stealing my lord!" The denial burst out of Sora before he can stop it. The Baron raised one eyebrow at him. "I-I mean...I just wanted to see it. That's all."

"You still haven't answered my question," the Baron reminded Sora. "What would you do in my place?"

Sora lowered his head. He could try to explain, he could try and deny what happened, or he could beg for mercy. But he squared his shoulders as he comes to a decision. "I don't know what I would do in your place, my lord. I have no excuse for my actions and I will accept whatever punishment you give me."

As he said this, Sora raised his head just in time to see Mickey and Cloud exchange a look. Was that approval?

"Any suggestions?" The Baron asked the Ranger.

"Perhaps we should show him the paper he has been so keen to see, sir," Cloud suggested.

"Not a bad idea," the Baron said with a small smile. "In a way it does spell out his punishment."

Sora could tell that the Baron was telling a joke, but he didn't understand and Cloud didn't look amused.

"If you say so, my lord," Cloud replies evenly.

"Take a joke Cloud! Take a joke!" The Baron said. "Now show him that paper."

The Ranger handed Sora the paper and Sora took it slowly. He looked into Cloud's eyes hoping for some answers, but his eyes portrayed nothing. Sora slowly unfolded the paper and read it with Cloud and Mickey watching him carefully.

_The boy Sora has the potential to be trained as a Ranger._

_I will accept him as my apprentice._

Sora stared at the words in utter confusion. At first he was relieved that he wouldn't be condemned to a lifetime of farmwork, but that relief soon gave way to doubt. The only thing he knew about Ranger's were the myths and superstitions.

When Sora looked up, he saw the Baron's smile fade slightly at Sora's lack of reaction. "What do you say Sora?" He asked in an encouraging tone.

"Thank you, sir...my lord," Sora replied uncertainly. Had the Baron been serious in his joke about this being his punishment from before?

"Perhaps you might give us a few moments alone, Cloud? I'd like a word with Sora in private," Mickey said to Cloud who nodded and left.

"Sit down Sora," the Baron said to Sora and Sora nervously sat on the edge of the chair the Baron had indicated. "You don't seem very pleased with my decision. Would you prefer to work as a farmhand?"

"No, sir!" Sora replied quickly and the Baron made a questioning gesture. "It's just... I don't know much about Rangers, sir. And people say..."

He trailed off and the Baron nodded in understanding. "Ranger's are a mysterious group, Sora, but there is nothing about them to be frightened of. I'm sure you'll take to being a Ranger right away. It's a big opportunity for you Sora. Not many boys are chosen to be apprentices."

"But what do Ranger's do exactly?" Sora asked.

"That's for Cloud to tell you," Baron Mickey said. "Now perhaps you should head back to your quarters and get some sleep. You're to report to Cloud's cabin at seven o'clock in the morning."

"Yes, my lord," Sora replied seeing he really had no choice in the matter. He rose from his seat and walked back out of the Baron's apartment. Back on the stairs, Cloud was nowhere to be found. Or at least that's the way it appeared. With Ranger's you could never really tell.

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**MB: Thanks for the review!**


	5. A New Life

Chapter 4 _A New Life_

Sora was the first of his wardmates to get up the following morning despite his late night. Without a sound, Sora packed his clothes and few belongings into a bag which he slung over his shoulder. He walked to the door out of the dorm room and looked back one final time. This was the end of his life as he knew it. Never again would he be kept awake by Wakka's snores or have to drag a cranky Tidus out of bed in time for lessons. Never again would he wake up in the morning to see Riku sleeping in the bed next to him.

Sora let his eyes linger on the still form of the silver haired boy. It was easy to love him at times like this when he wasn't harassing Sora with cruel words. Sora tried to commit to memory this final image of Riku as he slept peacefully with a small smile ghosted on his lips.

As Sora stared, Riku frowned slightly and began to shift in his sleep. The moment broken, Sora turned and left the dorm room, shutting the door with a quiet click behind him. Except for a few servants hurrying along with sleep deprived expressions, Sora was alone in the castle and his footsteps echoed sadly as he descended the final staircase to the wide open front doors that lead to the outside. Hitching his pack up on his back, Sora took a deep breath and went to step outside, but a voice stopped him.

"Sora, where are you going?"

Sora turned quickly, surprised to see Riku coming down the stairs behind him. "Riku, why are you-" Sora tried to say, but the other boy cut him off.

"Weren't you supposed to talk to the baron this morning so he could figure out where to send you?"

"I already talked to him," Sora replied surprised and confused by Riku's forcefulness. "And I'm not going to be a dumb farm hand if that's what you were thinking."

"Oh?" Riku said curiously.

"Yeah, I'm going to be...a ranger," Sora said suddenly a little self conscious. He still wasn't a hundred percent sure being a ranger was a good thing himself and he hoped Riku wouldn't make fun of him for it. Being ranger had to be better than being a farm hand right?

"Really?" Riku said. He seemed a little surprised but mostly...impressed? "What do you do as a ranger?"

"Oh...well...you know," Sora said shifting awkwardly. He really had no clue, but he didn't want to sound dumb in front of Riku especially since he was being so unusually kind. "It's a pretty secret group."

Riku nodded and Sora shifted awkwardly again, pulling nervously on the hem of his shirt. "I should get going," Sora said to break the silence, gesturing towards the door out of the castle. "Don't want to be late on my first day."

Riku nodded again. "Well good luck Sora," Riku said holding his hand out.

"You too," Sora said hesitantly as he shook Riku's hand. Why was he acting so weird?

As their hands separated, Riku said, "I know you and I have given each other a lot of crap over the years, but I think I'll miss seeing you and your stupid porcupine hair."

"Uh..." Sora said stupidly not sure if that was really a compliment, but the fact that Riku said he was going to miss him made his heart do backflips. "I'll miss you too...and the others of course!" Sora added hastily. "Can you say goodbye to them for me?"

"Sure," Riku said easily. "Selphie was talking about getting together on Harvest Day to catch up. See you then?"

"Definitely," Sora said with a grin. "Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye," Riku said and Sora started to walk away. After he went out the front doors he looked back to see Riku still standing there. Giving him an awkward wave, Sora adjusted his pack again and set off down the road. He went on autopilot as he became lost in his thoughts of Riku.

He had been interested, concerned even, with Sora's future. And his parting words...sure there had been a crack about his spiky hair, but Riku had seemed sincere when he had said he was going to miss Sora. Sora shook his head slightly. it had probably been his imagination. Riku only saw him as an easy target for humiliation, he would never return the affection Sora felt for him.

Lost in such thoughts, Sora suddenly found himself on the veranda of Cloud's cottage which was situated on the edge of the forest some distance from both the castle and the village. Sora froze for a moment before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door,

"Come in," said and voice inside and Sora complied, opening the door and entering the small cottage.

It was surprisingly neat and comfortable little space. The main room was a combined living and dining area with a kitchen at one end and chairs and a low couch were arranged around crackling fireplace on the side closer to the door. In the middle was a wooden table with bench seating. To other rooms led off the main room.

After quickly servaying the room, Sora's eyes fell on Cloud who was sitting in front of the fire with his feet up. "At least you're on time," he said gruffly. As Cloud stood up, Sora saw that without the gray cloak he normally wore Cloud had a surprisingly small build. He was slim and shorter than average, but he had a sense of whipcord strength about him so his lack of bulk didn't make him any less daunting of a figure.

"Finished staring?" The Ranger asked suddenly.

Sora jumped nervously. "Yes sir! Sorry sir!"

Cloud grunted and raised am eyebrow at him. He pointed to one of the small rooms off the main room. "That'll be your room. You can put your things in there."

Sora went in to his new room curiously and after placing his few belongings there he returned to the main room where Cloud was now at the stove stirring a large coffee pot. Sora coughed slightly to signify his presence, but Cloud didn't turn.

"Got a cold, boy?" Cloud asked with his back still to him.

"No, sir," Sora said awkwardly.

"Then why are you coughing?"

Sora hesitated. "Well, sir, I just wanted to ask you...what does a Ranger actually do?"

"He doesn't ask pointless questions, boy!" Cloud said. "He keeps his eyes and ears open and he looks and listens and eventually, if he hasn't got too much cotton wool in his ears, he learns!"

"Oh, I see," Sora said even though he didn't. "I just wondered what Rangers do, is all."

Halt caught his tone and turned to face him. "Well then I suppose I should tell you. What Rangers do, or more correctly, what Ranger's apprentices do, is the housework."

"The...housework?" Sora repeated.

"Take a look around," Cloud said gesturing. "See any servants?"

"No, sir," Sora said slowly.

"No sir indeed!" Cloud said. "There is water to be fetched and firewood to be chopped and floors to be swept and rugs to be beaten. And who do you suppose might do all those things, boy?"

Trying and failing to come up with an answer other than the obvious, Sora replied in a defeated voice, "Would that be me, sir?"

"I believe it would be," the Ranger said. He then went on in a long list of where everything was and exactly what jobs had to be done.

Sora held back a sigh as he rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the bucket to fetch the water to fill the water barrel. As he left, the Ranger contently poured himself a cup of coffee. "I'd forgotten how much fun having an apprentice can be."

…

Sora had just brought the pots he had scoured in the river back inside and was starting to hang them back up when he heard Cloud say, "Hmm. That's odd."

Thinking the Ranger was talking to him, Sora turned. "I beg your pardon?" He said suspiciously. Each time Cloud had come up with a new chore for him he had started with a statement like "How unusual. The living room rug is full of dust." Or "I do believe the stove is in dire need of a new supply of firewood."

This time however it seemed that he had been genuinely musing to himself. Sora looked curiously at the report in Cloud's hand. It had an oakleaf crest at the top. The Ranger looked up surprised that Sora had addressed him.

"Sorry. When you said 'that's odd' I thought you were talking to me," Sora said shrugging.

"No, no," Cloud said distractedly. "I was just reading this..." His voice trailed off as he frowned thoughtfully.

With his curiosity fit to burst, Sora had to ask, "What is it?"

"Curious are you?" Cloud said and Sora nodded slightly. "Well, I guess that's a good trait for a Ranger's apprentice." He paused and then said, "Lady Mulan is dead. Apparently killed by a bear last week while out hunting."

"Lady Mulan?" Sora repeated. The name sounded very familiar.

"Former supreme commander of the King's army," Cloud clarified.

"What's so odd about that?" Sora asked. "After all, bears kill people all the time."

"True," Cloud said nodding. "But I would have thought Dragon Fief was a little too far east for bears. And I would have thought Mulan was too experienced a hunter to go after one alone." Cloud sat in silence before shrugging. "But then again, life is full of surprises and people do make mistakes. If you're done with the pots, you might like to clean out the fireplace."

Sora moved to do what he was told, but he glanced back at Cloud to see him tapping the report thoughtfully, his eyes staring out the window and his thoughts obviously a long way away.

…

Some time later, Cloud finally ran out of jobs for Sora to do. "Hmm. Not bad. Not bad at all," Cloud said as he surveyed the cottage. Sora felt a surge of pleasure at the slight praise, but before he could get too pleased with himself Halt asked, "Can you cook, boy?"

"Cook, sir?" Sora asked uncertainly.

Cloud raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Why do young people answer a question with a question?" He asked before turning back to Sora. "Yes cook. This is no grand castle. If we want to eat here, we have to cook food here."

"I can't cook," Sora admitted.

"Of course you can't!" Cloud said rubbing his hands together. "Most boys can't. So I'll have to show you how. Come on."

With that, Cloud led the way to the kitchen a proceeded to teach him to prepare a simple yet tasty stew. As they waited for their meal to be ready, they sat at the table and Cloud began to talk. "The Rangers were founded one hundred and fifty years ago, in King Herbert's reign. Do you know anything about him?"

Sora hesitated. He vaguely remembered the name from his Ward lessons, but he couldn't remember any details. Not wanting to appear ignorant on his first day, he decided to try and bluff his way through it. "Oh yes...King Herbert. We learned about him."

"Really?" The Ranger said raising an eyebrow. "Perhaps you could tell me a little about him?"

"He was..." Sora hesitated, pretending to gather his thoughts. "The king...He was the king...a hundred and fifty years ago." Cloud gestured for him to continue. "Um...I seem to recall he was the one who founded the Ranger Corps."

Cloud's eyebrows shot up again. "Really? You recall that do you?"

Sora suddenly realized that Cloud had merely said the Rangers were founded during his reign not necessarily by him. "Er...by founded I mean...he was king when the Ranger Corps was founded."

"Well that's remarkable, seeing as how I just told you those facts," Cloud said in hard voice and Sora gulped. It probably would have been better not to have said anything at all. Cloud spoke again in a milder tone. "Boy, if you don't know something, don't try to bluff your way through it. Simply tell me you do not know, is that clear?"

"Yes, Cloud," Sora said his eyes downcast. "Cloud?"

"Yes?"

"About King Herbert...I don't really know," Sora admitted.

Cloud snorted. "I never would have guessed. I'm sure you'll remember when I tell you that he was the one who drove the northern clans back over the border into the Dark Realm. He is sometimes known as-"

"The Father of Modern Kingdom Hearts!" Sora said quickly, suddenly remembering that fact from his lessons. Cloud raised his eyebrow. "Sorry." Sora said realizing he shouldn't have interrupted like that.

"That is quite alright," Cloud said before continuing. "He created the union between the fifty fiefs that's still our structure today. At the time, King Herbert felt that to remain safe, the kingdom needed an effective intelligence force. Intelligence is knowledge of what your enemies and potential enemies are up to. That's why he founded the Rangers, to keep the kingdom informed."

"How do you do that?" Sora asked.

"We keep our eyes and ears open. We patrol the kingdom and beyond."

"Is that the reason why you can make yourself invisible?" Sora asked.

"We can't make ourselves invisible," Cloud said with the faintest hint of a smile. "What we do is make ourselves very hard to see. You already have some of the skills required."

"I do?" Sora asked looking up surprised.

"You used the shadows and the movement of the wind to cross the yard last night unseen, didn't you?" When Sora nodded Cloud continued, "We use the same principles to blend into the background. To use it to conceal us."

"How many Rangers are there?" Sora asked curiously.

"Fifty. One for each of the fifty fiefdom," Cloud said. "I'm based here and my colleagues are based at each of the other forty-nine castles throughout the kingdom. In addition to providing intelligence about potential enemies, Rangers are law keepers."

"I thought Baron Mickey did that," Sora put in.

"The Baron is the judge," Cloud explained. "Rangers enforce the law. We investigate crimes to find who is responsible."

"What happens then?" Sora asked.

"Sometimes we report back to the baron and the person will be arrested and charged. Sometimes if it's a matter of urgency, we just...deal with it."

"What do we do?" Sora asked before he could stop himself.

Cloud gave him a long look. "Not too much if we've only been an apprentice for a few hours," he replied. "Those of us who've been Rangers for twenty years or more tend to know what to do without asking."

"Oh," Sora said.

"In times of war we act as special troops. Guiding armies, scouting before them, sneaking behind enemy lines," Cloud said.

"What sort of enemies?" Sora asked. Disneytown had been at peace for as long as he could remember.

"Enemies in and out of the kingdom," Cloud replied with a shrug. "People like the Nobodies of The Land that Never Was of Maleficent and her Neoshadows." Sora shivered, recalling the stories of Maleficent, Mistress of Hollow Bastion, and her monsters. Cloud nodded at his reaction. "Yes, Maleficent is definitely a person to be worried about. That's why Rangers keep an eye on her. We'd like to know if she is preparing for war."

"Still," Sora said trying to reassure himself. "The last time they attack, the armies made mincemeat of them."

"That's true," Cloud agreed. "But only because they had been warned ahead of time of the attack..."

"By a Ranger?" Sora asked.

"Correct," Cloud said. "A ranger alerted the armies that Maleficent was on her way and then led the cavalry across a secret ford to flank her army."

"It was a great victory," Sora said.

"Thanks to a Ranger," Cloud added and Sora nodded thoughtfully.

"My father died in that battle," Sora added in a quieter voice. "He was a hero. A mighty knight."

"I wasn't aware of that," Cloud said and Sora look at him questioningly. Something in Cloud's voice made it sound like there was something he wasn't telling Sora, but before Sora could ask, Cloud stood and went the pot of simmering stew on the stove. "Now let's eat!"

* * *

**So it's been awhile since I updated and I have tons of excuses but I doubt you want to hear 'em all so I'll just say sorry. Sorry! To make up for it I made an extra long chapter compared to the others. Not the most exciting chapter I've ever written and sorry for the little bit of info dumping but it was necessary.**

**I just wanted to point out that for the most part I'm going to replace the characters in the book with KH characters but for super minor ones like King Herbert I'm not going to bother.**

**Next update will be soonish hopefully...**


	6. Battleschool

Chapter 5 _Battleschool_

Riku groaned in relief to finally be able to fall down on his bed. Every muscle in his body ached. He'd only been a cadet for a week and he was already a total physical wreck. Not for the first time he wondered if he could survive the three years of Battleschool training. Never had he felt so worn-out.

His fantasy of shining knights and adoration pouring down on him from the common people, from Sora, was quickly shattered by the harsh reality of Battleschool. So far, Battleschool meant rising before dawn to run and lift weights before a meager breakfast and a quarters inspection. After that, there were classes on military history and tactical theory before they were but through a grueling obstacle course designed to test speed and agility. Complete it in five minutes or it's back to the start for another run. It was a rare thing for a cadet to complete the course in one try. The course was littered with pits of unidentifiable sludge. Falling in one of those pits sent a cadet back to the start, but it also meant they would have to take a shower before getting lunch which was just as small and bland as breakfast.

All in all, Riku's impressions of his first week at Battleschool were a combination of aching muscles and gnawing hunger.

More classes followed lunch and then it was to the yard for close order drills. The two hours that followed before dinner and lights out were free time for cadets to repair gear and prepare for lessons the next day.

Unless, of course, someone in some way displeased an instructor during the day. If that was the case, all the cadets would be invited to load their packs with rocks and take off on a 12 mile run through a course in the surrounding countryside. The course took them over rocks and uneven ground, through heavy thickets and across streams.

Riku had just completed one such run after a classmate had been caught passing notes in class. The matter was only made worse by the fact that the note in question happened to be a very unflattering drawing of the instructor. As a result, Riku and his classmates had been invited to fill those packs and start running.

Reflecting now as he lay alone in the dormitory, it hadn't all been bad. Battleschool had made him more fit than he had ever been in his whole life and he was only two miles into the run when he had started to pull ahead of the others. He knew the course unfortunately from too much experience so he left them behind and continued to run easily through the forest.

That's when he saw him.

Just a flash through the trees as he ran past a secluded clearing out in the middle of the woods. A flash was plenty of time for Riku to recognize the spiky, porcupine like, brown hair. Sora had been standing in that clearing with Cloud, the mysterious ranger. Riku wasn't sure if Sora had seen him, but Cloud's intimidating gaze had definitely spotted him through the leaves. Riku hadn't been able to stop thinking about Sora the rest of the way back to the castle which he reached long before the other cadets.

Riku smiled, the muscles in his face stretch at the unfamiliar movement. He was sure he hadn't smiled since coming to Battleschool, but somehow just the sight of Sora had made his heart lighter.

The door at the end of the dormitory crashed open on its hinges and Riku raised himself up onto his elbows, groaning inwardly.

Seifer, Rai, and Fuu march towards him between the neatly made beds. They were second-year cadets and had made it their life's work to make Riku's life miserable. Quickly, Riku swung his legs off his bed and stood up, but not quickly enough.

"What are you doing in bed?" Seifer demanded. "Who told you it was lights out?" Behind Seifer, Rai and Fuu chuckled like Seifer's small joke had actually been funny.

"Yeah! Twenty pushups now, y'know?" Rai said flexing his muscles.

Riku hesitated. If it came to a confrontation he was sure he could take them, but as far as he knew it was common practice for the older cadets to treat first-years like this and Riku could only imagine the scorn of his classmates if he was to complain to authority about Seifer and his lackeys. Fuu's eyes narrowed seeing the fleeting light of rebellion in his eyes.

"Thirty," she said pointing to the floor.

With his muscles protesting, Riku dropped to the floor and began the push ups. Immediately he felt a foot on the small of his back pressing him down. He struggled but managed to complete the first push up.

"Come on, Baby!" Seifer taunted. "Put a bit of effort in it."

"Yo Seifer, Baby's crying, y'know," Rai said laughing. As Riku continued to struggle through the push ups, Rai moved to his bed. "Did you make this bed this morning?" He yelled.

"Yes...sir," Riku forced out.

Fuu shook her head. "Pigsty." The bed had a few wrinkles in it from RIku lying on it, but those could have been easily smoothed out. Fuu kicked the mattress off and Rai joined her in kicking the blankets off.

"Make it again, y'know," Rai yelled. He then kicked the bed next to Riku's. "Make 'em all again!"

He and Fuu destroyed all twenty beds in the dormitory while Riku finished the push ups. Sweat dripped from his face, blurring his eyes. He collapsed to the floor, but Seifer kept his foot on Riku to keep him from rising.

"Crying baby? Pathetic," Seifer said. "Go home and cry to your mommy. Oh wait. You can't. Your a ward baby. Baby's mommy ran off with a river boat sailor. Your mommy left you didn't she?"

"My mother is dead," Riku growls out through clenched teeth. He tried to rise again, but Seifer's foot kept him down.

"Very sad," Seifer said and Rai and Fuu laughed. "Now clean this mess up!"

As the three of them walked out of the dormitory, laughing and tipping over foot lockers as they went, Riku lay motionless on the floor.

"I hate this place," He murmured into the floorboards.


	7. Strictly Business

Chapter 6 _Strictly Business_

"It's time you learned about the weapons you'll be using as a Ranger," Cloud said as he dropped a bundle at Sora's feet. Sora looked doubtfully at the bundle. He thought of weapons as swords and battle axes, but it was obvious that the small bundle had none of those.

"What sort of weapons?" Sora asked his eye glued to the bundle.

"The principal weapons of Ranger's are stealth and silence," Cloud said. "But if they fail, you must know how to fight."

"So then we have swords," Sora asked hopefully.

"No," Cloud said kneeling and unwrapping the bundle. "Then we have a bow."

Sora frowned as Cloud placed the bow at his feet. A bow was more of a tool than a weapon. As a child he had made his fair share of bows from bent branches. But as he looked more closely he saw that it was no bent branch.

"It's called a recurve bow," Cloud said sensing his puzzlement. "You're not strong enough to handle a full longbow yet, but the double curve will let you still shoot powerfully."

Sora picked up the bow. "Can I shoot it?"

"If you think that's a good idea, go ahead."

Sora should have recognized the warning in Cloud's voice, but he instead quickly chose an arrow from the quiver Cloud had also removed from the bundle and fitted it to the string. He pulled back, aimed at a tree, and released.

_Whack!_

The bowstring hit the soft flesh of his forearm with a sting like a whip. Sora cried in pain and grabbed at the welt already forming on his arm. "That hurt!" he said accusingly to Cloud.

Cloud shrugged. "You're always in a hurry," he said. "Maybe that will teach you to wait a little next time." He reached into the bundle and pulled out a long leather cuff that he slid onto Sora's left arm to protect it from the bow string. "Now try again."

Cloud let Sora fire a few for arrows with instructions on proper form. After ten minutes he concluded that Sora needed to practice and pulled two knives in a double scabbard out of the bundle.

"These are Ranger's knives," Cloud explained as he handed them to Sora. Sora looked at them curiously before taking out the shorter of the two. "It's for throwing," Cloud said. "The width at the tip balances the weight at the hilt. Watch."

With a swift and smooth movement, Cloud pulled his own knife from his waist and sent it spinning towards a nearby tree. It thudded home into the wood and Sora looked at Cloud impressed. "How do you learn to do that?"

Cloud looked at him. "Practice."

Cloud pulled out his second knife and Sora did the same. This one was much longer than the first. On one side it was razor sharp and on the other it was thick and heavy.

"Should you ever end up in a close quarter's fight, you can block a sword stroke with this blade," Cloud said. "It is sometimes called a saxe knife."

Sora examined the knife more closely. It was a fine weapon and, Sora realized, far superior to the clumsy swords of the castle's warriors.

"Now all you have to do is learn to use them," Cloud said. "And you know what that means don't you?"

Sora grinned and nodded. "A lot of practice."

…

Leon stood watching the new Battleschool cadets training in their weapons drills. There was one in particular who was drawing most of his attention. The tall boy from the Ward. He searched for a name for a moment before remembering. Riku. That was it.

The drill was simple. The instructor would call out one of ten sequences and each boy would perform the series of strokes on the dummy in front of him. The hard part was the pace. The instructor was going at a ferocious pace and most of the cadets were scrambling through clumsy movements to keep up.

But not Riku.

He was perfectly balanced on his feet and the training sword in his hand moved in quick, deadly movements. Still, there was something else setting him apart from his classmates. It took Leon a movement to spot it and he was instantly impressed. Despite the fast pace and complicated sequences, Riku was able to add an additional stroke to the end of each sequence without falling behind in the pacing. To add to this impressive display, Leon was also sure the boy was doing it without really noticing. He was just adding the next stroke that would catch an enemy of guard.

The instructor called a break and most of the cadets let their shoulders droop and became flat footed. But not Riku. He remained on the balls of his feet moving slightly so not to break his natural rhythm. He looked up and saw Leon staring at him. Leon turned away from the practice field so as to not let on to Riku that he had captured his attention. He didn't want Riku to know how natural and rare a swordsman he was lest the boy get a big head. So he kept his musings to himself and returned to his quarters for his least favorite role as Battlemaster, paperwork.

…

"Where are we going?" Sora asked hurrying to keep up with Cloud's long strides. They'd been walking through the forest for over half an hour and Cloud had yet to tell him their destination.

"To see Cid," Cloud replied.

"Why? Who's Cid?" Sora asked curiously.

Cloud raised his eyes to the trees in exasperation and asked them, "Why must this boy ask so many questions?" Then, glancing at Sora who looked slightly crushed, relented and said, "Cid is a good friend of rangers. He breeds our horses."

"Ranger's have horses?" Sora caught the look from Cloud and realized how silly his question was. "I mean, what kind of horses? Battlehorses? What color? Do they have black coats? Or speckled? Do they-"

"Enough questions," Cloud said holding up his hand to stop the flood of words streaming out of Sora's mouth. "Just go look for yourself."

They rounded a bend in the path and came to a clearing. Most of it was taken up by a large paddock with a few horses grazing contently in the corner. On the far side was a barn and a small cottage. Sora ran over to the fence and hopped onto the first rung, leaning over the top to watch the horses. He was surprised to see that they were nothing like battlehorses. Indeed they looked more like shaggy ponies than anything else.

"Morning Ranger!" Called a voice from across the clearing and Sora looked up to see a middle aged man with blond hair and a toothpick hanging out the side of his mouth walking over to them. "Who's the kid you've brung me?"

Cloud motioned for Sora to come over and Sora hopped down and walked over to the men shifting nervously under the critical gaze of the older man. "This is my new apprentice, Sora," Cloud said. "Sora, this is Cid."

"Good morning sir," Sora said politely.

Cid let out a hearty laugh. "Calls me sir! Hear that Ranger? Make a fine Ranger this one will."

Sora smiled at the compliment, but Cloud merely grunted impatiently. "Are they ready?"

In response, Cid let out a piercing whistle and two of the horses across the paddock looked up and came trotting over. Cid opened the gate and the horses trotted out. The larger of the two nickered and walked over to Cloud who gently pet its nose. The other one waited by Cid who gestured for Sora to come over.

"This 'un's Tug," Cid said handing Sora the rope bridle around the horse's took it and looked curiously at the small horse. Tug stared back with a surprisingly intelligent glint in his eyes. Sora cast a critical eye over Tug's barrel shaped body and unbrushed tail. All in all, he wasn't anything like the battlehorses Sora had dreamed of riding one day.

As if sensing his thoughts, Tug snorted and tossed his head as if to say, _I may not be very big, but I just might surprise you._

"Well, what do you think of him?" Cloud asked still petting the other horse.

Sora didn't want to offend anyone. "He's sort of...small."

"So are you," Halt pointed out.

"He ain't no battlehorse, that's for sure," Cid said rubbing his chin. "But he'll run circles around those fancy shiny horses. He'll keep going all day even after them fancy horses all lie down and die." Cid rubbed Tug's neck proudly.

"Why don't you see how fast he is?" Cloud suggested. "Turn him loose and see if you can capture him again.

Sora sensed the challenge in Cloud's voice. He dropped the bridle and Tug immediately skipped away from him to the center of the paddock like he understood the test Sora was in. Sora walked slowly to the horse, holding out his hand. "C'mon boy. Stand still there."

He reached out for the bridle but the horse ran off to the side and stood near the fence. Sora followed him again and again the little horse evaded him. Sora tried a few more times before deciding a change of tactic was needed. He cast his eyes around and they fell on a barrel of apples by where Cid and Cloud were standing watching him.

Sora grabbed one and held it is his palm. He stood still and called to Tug, "C'mon boy."

The little horses ears perked up. He did like apples and he thought he liked this boy, he played this game well. Tug trotted over and while he was munching on the apple, Sora succeeded in taking the bridle.

"Well thought out," Cloud said approvingly.

"Clever kid!" Cid said. "Clever and polite. They'll make a good team, him and Tug."

"Why's he called Tug?" Sora asked curiously. Instantly, Sora's arm was nearly ripped out of its socket as Tug threw back his head. Sora staggered and yelped in surprise, but managed to remain upright.

Cid laughed. "See if you can guess!"

While Cid laughed, Cloud looked to Sora and said to him, "Try walking him around a little."

"Come on boy," Sora said pulling on the bridle. Tug however braced his legs and no matter how hard Sora pulled, Tug refused to move.

"He be stronger than you," Cid said before laughing once more.

Sora's cheeks reddened in embarrassment, but Cloud spoke to him calmly. "Don't look at him. Just take the rope and walk away. He'll follow you." Sora did just that and Tug trotted along right behind him.

"Oi!" Sora looked up to see that Cid had moved down the fence line. "You ready to saddle him up?"

Sora nodded and led Tug over to where Cid was standing. A saddle was resting on a fence post and Cid instructed him on how to put it on Tug and tighten the straps well. Cloud walked over as Sora finished and Sora looked at him eagerly. "Can I ride him now?"

"If you think that's a good idea, go ahead."

Sora hesitated. Somewhere in the back of his mind that phrase had set alarm bells ringing, but he ignored them and climbed onto Tug's back. Tug stood unmoving so Sora tapped him heels against the horse's side and said, "Get up!"

Sora felt a small tremor travel down Tug's body and that was all the warning he got before Tug suddenly arched his back and jumped into the air so all four feet left the ground. He twisted violently before coming down on his front legs, kicking his back legs high into the air. Sora went flying over the horse's ears and did half a somersault in the air, landing hard on his back.

His breath knocked out of him, Sora lay there looking up at Tug who was looking at him curiously as if asking, _Now why did you go and go a silly thing like that?_

As Sora picked himself up off the ground Cid was hunched over holding his sides as he laughed heartily. Sora frowned and looked to Cloud. "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing if Tug was an ordinary horse," Cloud replied. "But he is a ranger's horse. Rangers' horses need to be asked for permission before you ride them the first time. They're trained like that so they can't be stolen."

"I've never heard of that," Sora said folding his hands behind his head and leaning back.

"Not many people have," Cloud said. "It's also different for every horse. My horse, Abelard, only responds to 'Will you allow me?'." He turns to Cid. "What are the words for Tug?"

Cid scratches his head for a moment before remembering. "Ask 'im, 'Do you mind?'."

Feeling slightly foolish, Sora leaned down and whispered in Tug's ear, "Do you mind?"

Tug whinnied and the two men gestured encouraging to Sora so a little apprehensively he climbed back on Tug. He tapped Tug's sides lightly and the little horse began to walk. As his confidence grew, Sora urged Tug to go faster and they galloped around the paddock for a few minutes before returning to the others.

Sora was grinning from ear to ear as he jumped down from Tug's back. "He'll keep that pace all day," Cid said patting Tug's neck. He then went on to explain to Sora all the information he needed to know to take care of Tug and as the sun began to set, Sora and Cloud set off for the the ranger's house on their respective horses.

They reached home as night fell. Cloud led Sora to a small stable behind the house and showed Sora where to put Tug. As Sora got Tug situated, Cloud stood in the doorway letting Abelard graze outside. "I have business to attend to at the castle tonight," Cloud said.

"What kind of business?" Sora asked curiously.

"The kind that is none of your business," Cloud replied and Sora knew it was better not to press the subject. "Make yourself dinner. I'll be back late tonight so don't wait up."

"Alright," Sora said. He watched curiously as Cloud mounted Abelard and set off for the castle in the distance.

…

"Your apprentice is from the Ward, right?" Leon asked and Cloud looked up from his plate. He nodded and Leon continued to look off deep in thought. They were sitting across from eachother at the table in Leon's sparsely furnished apartment in the castle. A small feast was set out before them courtesy of the castle's kitchen staff.

They continued to eat in silence for a moment before Leon put down his fork and sighed, rubbing the scar on the bridge of his nose that he'd gotten when he himself had been a cadet. "What is it?" Cloud asked putting down his fork as well.

"There is another boy from the Ward, a cadet named Riku, who has shown much promise in becoming a warrior, but I am concerned," Leon said.

"What is concerning?" Cloud asked.

"The boy has much talent when it comes to a sword, but his class work has been slipping below the average," Leon said. "And although he hasn't been caught in any fights, he often is seen with bruises not from regular training. You know as well that I do that I cannot allow anyone with a predilection for fighting to train. It makes them unpredictable."

Cloud nodded pondering what Leon had said. "There could always be another explanation behind his behavior," he suggested. "What does your instincts tell you to do?"

"I feel he will be a great warrior, but the evidence indicates that he is not cut out for such ability," Leon said.

"Trust your instincts for now," Cloud said reaching across the table to take Leon's hand and give it a comforting squeeze. "Wait until you have solid proof that he would become dangerous if trained as a swordsman before inflicting any punishment. For now, just keep an eye on him."

Leon nodded and rubbed the back of Cloud's hand with his thumb. He stood and pulled Cloud to his feet as well bring the smaller man close to his chest. "Thank you. You always have the best advice." Leon leaned down and pulled Cloud into a deep kiss. Cloud kissed him back and wrapped his arms around Leon's waist pulling the two of them even closer.

Their kiss got more intense and their hands were all over each other. Leon pulled Cloud towards his bedroom door, but Cloud broke their kiss. "I told Sora I would be back tonight."

"Did you tell him you'd be back late?" Leon asked kissing Cloud again and pulling him once again towards the bedroom. Cloud only resisted for a moment before letting Leon pull him in the door. Leon pushed him down on the bed and leaned over him to keep him from getting up.

"I told him not to wait up for me," Cloud said in a gasp as Leon began to kiss his neck.

"Then don't worry about it," Leon said in a husky voice and he moved his hands down to Cloud's hips. All Cloud's resistance melted and he pulled Leon ontop of him and brought him back into a passionate kiss. It had been so long since he and Leon had spent time alone together. Sora was pushed to the back of Cloud's mind as he lost himself in the deep kisses and gentle touches of his boyfriend.

…

Sora woke with a start at the sound of the front door opening. He tensed, but soon relaxed hearing the nearly silent footsteps in the main room and recognizing them as Cloud's. He rolled over and looked out the window. The position of the moon told him it was about 3 in the morning and Sora wondered what sort of business Cloud had been taking care of at such an early hour. But he didn't wonder for long as he rolled back over and sleep quickly pulled him back under.

* * *

**Hey look, I actually updated this story!**

**Thank you Kiwi for reviewing and reminding me people were reading this story and wanted new chapters. Sorry to all you for taking so long to get this chapter out, but I have my excuses.**

**1. Schools started so I'm sure you all understand when I say I'm buried in homework half my nights without time to write. To add to that I have to get ready to apply to college so that just adds to my stress levels and workload.**

**2. This is actually not the main project I'm working on. My main story I'm working on right now is called The Dark Seeker Saga: MEKA which is a Kingdom Hearts fanfiction centered mostly on Ven if you're curious. It loosely follows the Birth By Sleep storyline, but at times it is completely different. It's long and filled with surprises and cliffhangers especially chapter 50 which I just posted over the weekend. Anyway, enough self promoting! All I'm trying to say is I'm giving most of my precious little writing time to MEKA, but I will try to do better at giving some to this story as well.**

**If it is any consolation for not updating in like a month, this chapter was nice and long. It covered about 4 of the chapters in John Flanagan's book plus a bonus scene of Leon and Cloud at the end :)**

**The main pairing for this story is Sora and Riku, but that obviously hasn't happened yet so I wanted to give all the yaoi fans a scene to hold them over until we get there. **

**Next chapter (whenever I get it out) will bring Sora and Riku back together for the first time since they left the Ward and went their separate ways. Will sparks fly? You'll just have to wait and see. Until then favorite, follow, and review!**


	8. Harvest Day

Chapter 7 _Harvest Day_

Sora rode Tug through the crowded fair grounds outside the castle where all the townspeople had gathered to celebrate. It was Harvest Day, the day when all crops had been gathered and stored for the winter months ahead. Every year Baron Mickey put on the festivities for his people paid for out of his own money.

Sora however ignored the games and side shows around him as he made his way to a spot a little ways away to meet up with his former wardmates. It had always been tradition for Craftmasters to give their apprentices the day off to relax even though they hadn't taken part in the harvest themselves. Sora had wondered for weeks if Cloud was going to let him go. The Ranger wasn't one for tradition. Two nights before, Cloud had settled his anxiety by gruffly telling him he had the day off.

Sora's heart had soared as he thought of seeing his friends for the first time in three months. It had been three months of constant practice with his knives and bow under Cloud's watchful eye. Three months of stalking through the fields outside the castle, trying to remain unseen to Cloud's eagle eyes. Three months of riding and taking care of Tug and forming a special bond of friendship with the little pony.

Now he was ready for a holiday. He felt his pulse quicken knowing Riku would be there. He'd only caught glimpses of his silver haired crush when the Battleschool cadets performed drills in the woods near Cloud's house. Sora would hide high up in the trees and spy on Riku through the leaves.

He hoped that maybe the hard training of Battleschool had changed Riku's aggressive manner a little. Maybe, just maybe, he get to see a more mature Riku. A Riku that would be easier to approach and confess his feelings.

Sora arrived at the meeting place early with his stomach growling for the mince pies Wakka had promised to bring for them. He was already Master Yen Sid's star pupil and his pies were famous in the fief. Sora dismounted Tug, leading him to the shade of a nearby tree before sitting in the grass beside him.

"Why, it's young Will, isn't it?" A deep voice said from behind him.

Scrabbling to his feet, Sora touched his forehead in a polite salute to Baron Mickey who was seated on a great battle horse with several senior knights around him.

"Yes sir," Sora said, surprised to be addressed by the Baron. "A happy Harvest Day to you, sir."

Baron Mickey nodded and leaned forward to look at him more closely. "I must say, young man, you look quite the part there. I hardly saw you in that grey Ranger cloak. Has Cloud already taught you some of his tricks?"

Sora glanced down at the grey and green mottled cloak Cloud had given him some weeks ago explaining how it broke up the shape of the wearer and helped him blend into the background. "Cloud calls is camouflage," Sora said and the Baron nodded, obviously familiar with the term.

"Are you enjoying learning to be a Ranger?" The Baron asked curiously.

Sora paused. He had been working too hard to have time to think about if he was enjoying himself or not. "I suppose so," he said hesitantly. "Only…"

"Only what?" The Baron prompted him.

Sora shifted uncomfortably and folded his hands behind his head. Words had a way of emerging before he really had time to consider whether he wanted to say them or not.

"Only...Cloud never smiles at all," Sora forced himself to say. "He's always so serious."

"Well," Baron Mickey said. "Being a Ranger is serious business. Just pay attention to what he tells you. You're doing an important job."

"Yes, sir," Sora said a little surprised to realize that he did agree with the Baron. Baron Mickey gathered his reins to ride away, but before he could Sora asked on impulse, "Sir, remember when our armies fought Maleficent?"

Baron Mickey's cheerful face darkened. "I'll not forget that in a hurry," he said. "What about it?"

"Sir, Cloud told me that a Ranger was the one who showed the cavalry the secret way across the river so that they could attack the enemy's rear. I've just been wondering, what was the Ranger's name?"

"Didn't Cloud tell you?" The Baron asked.

"He said names weren't important, but...I think it was Cloud himself, sir," Sora said. "And I was wondering why he wasn't honored for his skill."

The Baron thought for a moment. "You're right Sora," he said at last. "It was Cloud. I wanted to honor him for it, but he wouldn't allow it. He said it wasn't the Ranger's way."

With a nod to Sora, Baron Mickey started to ride away, but reined in his horse and looked back. "Sora, don't tell Cloud I told you he led the cavalry. I don't want him angry at me."

"Yes, sir," Sora said and the Baron and his entourage rode away, towards the festivities of the Harvest Day. Sora sat down with a sigh and leaned against the tree to wait for his wardmates to show. He smiled to himself thinking of how Riku had said he was going to miss him before Sora had left the Ward. Riku had been so much kinder than normal that morning. He hoped he would get to see more of that Riku today.

A little while after the Baron left, Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus meet Sora under the tree and the four of them set out the feast Wakka had brought with him. With all the food set out and their stomachs rumbling, they looked around wondering what was keeping Riku.

"Perhaps we should start," Selphie suggested.

"I'll set aside some for Riku when he gets here," Wakka said and as he did so the others dug in.

…

Riku reached the fairgrounds and started pushing his way through the crowd to find the tree they had all agreed to meet under. Sora would be there. His lips twitched in a small smile as he thought of the smaller brunette. The thought of this day and of Sora's goofy smile had been sustaining him these last few weeks. Everyday he woke to a wave of fear not knowing when Seifer and his gang were going to come and demand another humiliating punishment for every little thing he did.

It left him unable to concentrate and his schoolwork was slipping. His fellow cadets, afraid of being dragged down with him, shunned him. He had never felt more alone in his life. He hated Battleschool.

But he forced himself to forget about that as he spotted the tree a little ways away. His pulse quickened seeing Sora, sitting on the ground with his back to him. The nerves he suddenly felt turned to anger almost instantly seeing his former wardmates laughing together, having already started their feast without him.

Storming over, he said bitterly, "Well, this is nice, isn't it?"

They all turned to him as their laughter faded. Riku could feel Sora looking at him, but refused to meet his eyes, instead glaring at the others.

"Riku!" Selphie said jumping to her feet. "You're here at last."

"At last? I'm a few minutes late and suddenly I'm 'here at last'?" Riku shifts his gaze to the half eaten food spread out in front of them. And just too late. You all already started pigging out."

"No, there is still some left," Wakka said quickly.

"Well, maybe I should come back later so you have time to finish them," Riku snapped.

"There is no need to be unpleasant," Tidus said in reasonable voice, but that wasn't what Riku wanted to hear and he shoved Tidus.

"Get away from me and mind how you talk to a warrior."

"You're not a warrior yet," Sora said and Riku looked at him for the first time cringing internally to see the anger in Sora's blue eyes directed at him. "You're just an apprentice like the rest of us."

"And as an apprentice spy, is Cloud teaching you how to slink around," Riku said stepping up to Sora to force the smaller boy to look up at him. Riku was used to Sora looking at him with fear, but there was defiance in his eyes. Surprised, Riku didn't let it show and instead fingered Sora's mottled cloak and said sarcastically, "What is this? Didn't have enough dye to make it all one color?"

"It's a Ranger's cloak," Sora said and Riku could tell he hit a nerve.

"There is no need to be unpleasant," Tidus said again trying to calm the situation.

But Riku turned to him and shoved him again. "How's that for unpleasant?"

As he stumbled back, Tidus windmilled his arms and one struck Tug causing the horse to rear up. "Easy Tug," Sora said quickly and Tug quieted.

"Who brought the big ugly dog to the party?" Riku said mockingly, stepping forward to look more closely at Tug.

"He's my horse," Sora said clenching his fists.

"That's not a horse," Riku said with a sneer. "At Battleschool we ride real horses."

Tug looked at Sora as if to say, _Who is this unpleasant clod?_ Sora bit his lip to keep from smiling as an idea came to mind.

"He's a Ranger horse. Only a Ranger can ride him."

Riku laughed. "My grandmother could ride that shaggy dog!"

"Maybe she could, but I bet you can't," Sora shot back and watched Riku's jaw set at the challenge.

"Nothing to it," Riku said grabbing the reins and swinging himself easily onto Tug's back. "Come on doggy," he said digging his heels into Tug's sides. Riku didn't notice the preparatory bunching of Tug's muscles, and when Tug kicked his back feet into the air, Riku went flying through the air and landed with a crash in the dirt.

"Maybe you should ask your grandmother if she'll teach you to ride," Sora said with a straight face, but the others laughed slightly.

Angry and embarrassed, Riku rose with a heavy stick in his hand. "I'll show you and your damned horse." He swung at Tug, but before he could strike the small horse, Sora was on him, tackling him to the ground.

They rolled on the ground grappling with each other while their friends tried to get them to stop. Sora landed a solid punch on Riku's nose causing it to bleed, but Riku caught him in the stomach knocking the breath out of him. Riku got to his feet, but Sora kicked out with his legs sending the other boy back to the ground. Before he could pin Riku, he was hauled to his feet by the back of his shirt and he saw the same being done to Riku by a man he recognized vaguely from seeing him in town.

"There will be no be no fighting to spoil the holiday," the man who had grabbed Sora said releasing him. "Now get out of my sight the both of you."

Sora shoot Riku one last glare before mounting Tug and riding away at a furious pace. Riku pulled himself out the townsman's grip and turned his back to his wardmates, walking away with the little dignity he still had. He left the fairgrounds far behind as he made his way back to the castle. He paused at the gates, wiping some of the blood from his nose. He looked at the tall fortress and couldn't help but sigh. His one day away from that awful place had been a disaster. Instead of getting to enjoy being close to Sora, the two of them had fought like bitter enemies and their already strained relationship looked as if it had lost all chance of ever improving. Heading into the castle, he went straight for the practice area, ready to take his frustration out on a dummy or two.

…

"Cloud, what did I say about working on our day off," Leon said with a smile as he pulled the stack of reports out of Cloud's hands and replaced them with a steaming mug of coffee.

Cloud frowned and tried to reach for his papers, but Leon put them on the other side of the table out of Cloud's reach. He sat on the couch beside him a put an arm around Cloud's shoulders as he sipped his own coffee with his other hand. Cloud grumbled about having work to do, but soon relaxed against Leon as the two of them watched the dancing flames of the fire in the fireplace.

"Has there been any change with your apprentice Riku?" Cloud asked.

Leon sighed and put his coffee down. "More bruises, more missed work. I just don't get it." He started to rub the scar on his face, but Cloud pulled his hand away.

"What are you thinking?" Cloud asked and Leon looked at him surprised. "You always do that when something is bothering you."

"I can't hide anything from you can I?" Leon said with a small smile, but then he sighed. "Despite all the evidence that says otherwise, I think Riku will be one of the best warriors in land one day. If he keeps this decline though, I'll have to throw him out. I've refrained from doing so, but each report that crosses my desk makes me wonder if letting him go is what I should do."

Cloud was quiet for a moment. "My advice is to wait," he said slowly. "Keep a close eye on him and see what you can learn. An opportunity may present itself that will let him show his true colors."

Leon nodded in agreement, but was still deep in thought as he played absentmindedly with Cloud's hair. For a moment they sat in silence together, just enjoying one another's company before Cloud sat up suddenly. "Sora's back."

Leon was surprised, having heard nothing, but then he heard the footsteps on the porch outside. Cloud picked up the papers from the table and Leon slid a little ways away. They both settled back down on the couch now no longer touching just before Sora opened the door and came in.

"How were the festivities Sora?" Cloud said standing and handing the reports to Leon.

"Fine," Sora said in a voice that made Cloud raise an eyebrow at him. Leon stood as well and Sora looked at him briefly. "Hello Sir Leon." Leon nodded to him before Sora turned back to Cloud. "I'm going to go practice," he said grabbing his bow from it's spot by the door and heading back out without waiting for a reply. As the door slammed behind him, Leon came up behind Cloud.

"What was that all about?"

"Not sure," Cloud said.

Leon turned Cloud to face him and leaned down to kiss him. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I'm expected back soon."

He handed Cloud back the reports and Cloud gave him one last kiss, before opening the door and watching him leave. From the doorway, he could see Sora firing arrows in quick succession at the target stump. The boy finished and stomped over to the stump, yanking out the arrows with more force than necessary. Cloud went back inside and returned to his reports, but he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts kept turning to his apprentice and he frowned, wondering what could have happened at the festival that made him so upset.

* * *

**Natty19: Gilian's character will exist in this fic. I hadn't really thought about the age problem of Cloud vs. Halt but now that you said that I've come up with a way for Cloud to already have had an apprentice. It won't be Roxas, its a Final Fantasy character that appears in one of the KH games, but I won't say who because I want it to be a surprise. The parts I do take from the book (dialogue for the most part) I do transcribe by hand.**

**kage kitsune no yami: I highly recommend the real book. It's one of my favorites ever. **


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